Keyboards in movies/TV series!

[mr_a500]

By the way, the Wargames IMSAI was for sale a couple years ago for the low price of only $25,000 US - and it included the keyboard.

http://imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm

[Grond]

A Model M and a portable computer from David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers (1988).

[webwit]

Seems to be a Toshiba T1200.

[Muirium]

Ooh: nice layout, too. HHKB style Fn candidate right there, and 3 mods a side. Plus an ANSI Shift instead of big ass for a change! As was the style of the time.

[jdcarpe]

From last night's premiere of AMC's Halt and Catch Fire:




Was being used by the sales consultants (engineers) at the fictional Cardiff Electric. I'll look again to see if I can identify any clear shots of the front of the terminal.

Looks to be a Zenith terminal of some sort. Maybe a Z-100?

[Grond]

Side by Side (2012) is a great documentary about digital vs photochemical film, a must see if you're interested in the subject. And there are some keyboards as well.

[Muirium]

Nice! The first keyboard is one of Apple's worst (with custom video editing caps installed) but the Da Vinci keyboard is straight out of tall sphericals science fiction! I like the camera angle on the second last picture too. Every computer scene needs some of that.

[mr_a500]

I like the three trackballs. I need something like that. I think with three trackballs and three pointers I could be a lot more efficient.

[Muirium]

From what video editing I have seen, those guys probably are more efficient with several. I haven't watched the movie (but I intend to, thanks Grond!) but I suspect those trackballs are actually scrubbers, with maybe variable velocity between the X and Y axis, for coarse and fine movement through the time line. Put a hand on each, and you probably could trim things faster than with context switching, as cuts are naturally an A goes to B kind of event. The third one, though, well, hmm. Something about going to 11?

[Grond]

The Da Vinci is a machine for color correction, as far as I know the trackballs are for regulating RGB values (one for each dominant).

[nathanscribe]

Holy crap - my ideal computer setup! (yes, including the cows):

sweet dreams.jpg

(just kidding - I'd rather have that Demon Seed thing)

That's a Movement Drum Computer:




The Mk II looked a little different, but equally funky:



There's a Flickr set with a gut-shot showing a NASCOM board:

MCDU1 opened by Waveterm, on Flickr

Gotta love the Zilog fraternity

[Grond]

Pret-à-porter (1994) by Robert Altman. Quite a lousy movie if you ask me, but I spotted a keyboard at least. That may be from some french computer as the film is set in Paris. The laptop seems to be an Apple Powerbook 170.

[IvanIvanovich]

From last night's premiere of AMC's Halt and Catch Fire:




Was being used by the sales consultants (engineers) at the fictional Cardiff Electric. I'll look again to see if I can identify any clear shots of the front of the terminal.

Looks to be a Zenith terminal of some sort. Maybe a Z-100?

According to an article I read about the shows props, all the computers in the office are Zenith Z120. They mostly sourced real period appropriate complete vintage computers from ebay and etc with some stuff Frankenstein'd up by art department from various parts in a few cases like the 'Symphonic'. Kind of cool they went that way really as it makes it seem more realistic for those of us that know anything about that era of computing.

[Grond]

"The Raid - Redemption" (2011) is a solid indonesian action/martial arts film, which I would recommend if you like the genre. There's an interesting looking keyboard here, but I could not identify. Also, a video control panel with Cherry legends.

[JBert]

"The Raid - Redemption" (2011) is a solid indonesian action/martial arts film, which I would recommend if you like the genre. There's an interesting looking keyboard here, but I could not identify. Also, a video control panel with Cherry legends.

Looks like the Mac M0110 keyboard?

[Grond]

I don't think so, the one in the film has two tones of keycaps and the layout is not the same if you look closely. Also, the keyboard seems to be connected to a TV, so my guess it's some kind of Commodore or stuff.

[Findecanor]

Commodore or Atari did not have two-tone keys. Based on the layout, I think a MSX variant would be more probable.

[Dubsgalore]

"The Raid - Redemption" (2011) is a solid indonesian action/martial arts film, which I would recommend if you like the genre. There's an interesting looking keyboard here, but I could not identify. Also, a video control panel with Cherry legends.

That's oddly satisfying to see

[Grond]

Batman - Mask of the Phantasm (1993). Apparently Batman uses some kind of customized matrix Tipro with double, backlit, blank keycaps and some odd spacebar. F row looks unusual as well.

[Grond]

And of course Mad Men is loaded with Selectrics. Don't be overwhelmed!

[Muirium]

Nice one! But a screen cap from Mad Men without serious skirts is, well, unexpected…

[Findecanor]

Apparently Batman uses some kind of customized matrix Tipro with double, backlit, blank keycaps and some odd spacebar.

Ack pfft.. Most computer keyboards in cartoons are drawn as simple grids.

[Muirium]

NOT a cartoon!



I don't think we're supposed to be looking at the BAT COMPUTER…

[mr_a500]

And of course Mad Men is loaded with Selectrics. Don't be overwhelmed!

Coincidentally, my desk looks almost exactly like that - with beige Selectric and black rotary phone - but original Selectric, not Selectric II.

The Selectric II didn't come out until 1971 and the show starts in the early 60's. Apparently, the set people knew this, but couldn't locate enough original Selectrics. They probably assumed nobody would notice. (or care... except for a few weirdo keyboard freaks)

I thought I would like Mad Men, but I hated it. It's a modern fake interpretation of the time period.

[Grond]

Of course my comment on the Batman cartoon keyboard was intented as a joke, but turns out Batman preferes non-staggered layouts even in the 1989 movie (still my favourite Batman by the way). The truth is, that thing doesn't even look like a keyboard, but something between a vintage POS and some pre-war airplane cockpit.

[Grond]

Pc Xt from "Velvet Goldmine" (1998). This scene is set in New York, but the movie was actually shot in the UK, and it shows: the keyboard is ISO!

[Ozric]

From last night's Halt & Catch Fire:

[Grond]

Looks good, what's that?

[Ozric]

Looks good, what's that?

First image is a Zenith Z-120, the second one I don't know.

[Halvar]

Pc Xt from "Velvet Goldmine" (1998). This scene is set in New York, but the movie was actually shot in the UK, and it shows: the keyboard is ISO!

An IBM XT, a Cherry keyboard, and some no name monochrome monitor ... The 80s from the view of 1998 obviously.